Systemic effects of periodontal disease in cats

Periodontal disease in cats is a local disease that may have systemic consequences that are affected by treatment.

To test the hypotheses that systemic health indices would be correlated with the severity of periodontitis, and would improve with treatment.

Apparently otherwise healthy cats from an in-bred colony were randomly assigned to a treatment group (n = 30), or a control group (n = 18), which was left untreated for 3 months. Periodontal disease was scored at baseline in the treatment group according to calculus, gingivitis, and alveolar bone loss measured from dental radiographs. Blood, urine and saliva were collected from both groups before, and 16, 45, and 90 days after dental treatment. Assays included haematology, urinalysis, serum biochemistry, serum IgG, salivary IgA, lymphocyte subsets and proliferation, and plasma malonyldialdehyde (MDA). Correlations between the severity of periodontitis and assays at baseline were assessed, and the effect of treatment determined using linear mixed model methodology.

The severity of periodontitis was associated with age, bodyweight, total globulins (Globs), Alanine aminotransferase, and IgG, and negatively associated with albumin, haemoglobin, haematocrit, and Aspartate aminotransferase (AST). Treatment significantly reduced IgG, total Globs, AST, and eosinophils, and increased cholesterol. Other leucocyte assays and plasma MDA concentrations were not affected by the treatment. Cats ate dry food faster 1 week after, than they did 1 week before treatment.

Although the clinical significance of these findings are unknown, we conclude that periodontitis is not simply a localized disease, but also impacts on systemic health and wellbeing.